Digital Syllabus

Creating a digital syllabus has many benefits including being easier to make accessible, saving time from semester-to-semester, and meeting Title V requirements in outlining what and how students should interact with you, other students, and content within the course.

In addition to the required syllabus elements as outlined in each of the college faculty handbooks, the online syllabus should include three main elements: the contract, schedule, and map.

  • Course Contract
    • The course contract is the core of the online syllabus, providing students with information about academic policies and expectations. In short, everything they need to know so that they can access the course content, understand course policies, and complete assignments. Be sure to check your college's Faculty Handbook to verify all required information that must be included in the syllabus.
  • Course Schedule
    • The course schedule in an online syllabus is similar to a face-to-face syllabus. It includes a description of weekly lessons, readings, activities, discussions, projects and assessments. Because there is so much additional information in an online syllabus it is also particularly helpful to call special attention to Important Dates in the semester. It is also useful to give students a general weekly timeline for when lessons are released and activities, discussions and assessments are due.
  • Course Map
    • The course map helps students understand site navigation. In many online syllabi, this is often embedded within the text of the contract components. For example: “You can respond to the Discussion Board by selecting the Discussions link on the Course Menu.” It is also possible to include a separate section in the syllabus with a guide to important links.

 

Resources

Canvas Syllabus Template

Sample Syllabi

Faculty Handbooks

 

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